Attached is the Four Counties GC Duty Rota, for the period January to March 2010.Many thanks to all those who submitted their available dates to me, hopefully I have taken them all into account. Apologies if I have put you down for a day you cannot do, let me know asap if this is the case and I shall try and rectify it.

If you did not submit your dates to me, and find there is a day you are down for which you definitely cannot do, please let me know as soon as possible.(Note: "I don't fancy doing it that day" isn't a feasible excuse, these are duties everyone has to do at some point!)

If you find yourself with an unforeseen clash and are unable to fulfill your duty role, please endeavour to find a replacement, swapping with someone else (i.e they do your day, you do theirs). If you do swap, please let me know so the list can be updated. If you struggle to find a swap yourself, give me a shout, and I'll see who I can organise.

There may also be additional people to add to the list in various places, so keep an eye out for updates.

All other comments and suggestions welcome, but keep it civil!

Cheers,

Pete

PS. This list will also be emailed, and published in various places around the club, so hopefully everyone will be aware of it come the New Year.

Please note: The Rota has been UPDATED. The file above is the most up to date version of the duty rota.

Also, I have been asked to confirm the exact role of the duty pilot. When I published an earlier attempt at a duty list back in the middle of 2009 I inlcuded a brief description of the role of the duty pilot. It is pasted below as an indicator of the general responsibilities of the duty pilot on a flying day. Note, I believe there are currently proper Terms of Reference being prepared, so these should only be a guide:

The Duty Pilot has the following roles on a flying day:

* Organise the unpacking of the hangar, preparing of aircraft and getting them to the launchpoint. * Organise and maintain a flying list in order of priority, based on the arrival time and needs of the various pilots on the airfield. This includes matching up instructors and students, as per the student’s requirements. * Maintain a schedule of winch and tractor drivers, ensuring that no one spends too long on one of these duties. * Greet visitors, and ensure that they are looked after while on the airfield, assigning instructors or other members as necessary. This includes ensuring that all necessary paperwork is complete, and the visitors are aware of the likely cost of their flying, prior to taking a launch. * Supervise the returning of aircraft and MT to the hangar, and make sure everything is either safely put away, or prepared for the next day’s flying.

The Duty Pilot is able to fly at any time of their choosing, but they must ensure that another individual takes on their role for the duration of their flight time. The role must be resumed once the flying is complete.

I'm told that the first day of 2010 went well, with all duty persons turning up for their day. Thanks guys, after all, its us as members that will make this work, and I'm glad to see it started well, let's keep it up!

Please note the rota has been updated.CD is unable to do his DI this weekend (Sunday 7th) and Phil Sturley has stepped in to replace him.

A general note on the rota so far, many thanks to those who have been turning up and doing their prescribed duties. It should be noted, however, that there are a small minority that do not turn up for their duties. Recently this has been down to poor weather I'm sure, but on at least one day, the weather cleared, and we could have flown, had there been more people (the duty pilot and backseater would have been enough). It is understandable that weather will stop people coming out, and members cannot be expected to drive out to the airfield for nothing. However, weather at the airfield can be different than forecast and there is always something to do. If you do not feel it is worth coming out to do your duty, or have a sudden other commitment, the least you can do is call the DI for the day, and check with them the local situation, and if necessary let them know you won't be turning up.

As I say, for the most part, the response from members to this rota has been excellent, and particularly the instructors. The problem appears to be Duty Pilots. All members above solo (excluding Full Cats) should be rota'd to be duty pilot, and this works out at one day every two or three months. Not a tough commitment when you consider the turnover of days for instructors. The rota is widely publicised and is in no way kept secret, so there is no excuse for not doing your duty day.The weather is improving, and with the very slow start to the year, we need to get on it and do as much flying as possible. Please help the club, and turn up for your duty!

A final plea, if you cannot do a duty, organise a swap! The list has been up since the end of December, you should know about what days you can and cant do by now!

As always, apologies to those excellent people to whom this does not apply.